I sealed mine this year and what a difference.
Not a whole lot of seat time so far this winter but in my few uses I was pleasently suprised. Last season I would get the cab to temp and it would stay or drop slowly, if REAL windy it would drop more rapidly... as I was cleaning the driveway. This year with a tightned cab, (VERY windy day and single digit temps) the temp rose as I used it- NICE!
Well worth the time to do it, for a heated cab at least...
Note: the biggest thing to close off are all the openings in the hood that are also in the cab, they will suck the warm air out of the cab and the cold air in any openings! Cannot stress the importance of this one enough!!!
I used 3"x3" x 42" (can cut to length) foam strips, they are called "air conditioner" weather-stripping at lowes and home depot. About $1.50 a strip!
I was wondering if anyone tried removing the rad fan for the winter. I would think the cold temp and the addition of the engine supplied in cab heater would keep the engine cool enough. I'm thinking of buying a cab for my X749 and I am going to try this, just wondering if anyone tried this already. It sure would eliminate the vacuum effect. I am also considering an electric fan as well. Anyone rig up an electric fan?
Weather Stripping The Cab
I was intersted in sealing up my cab a bit to keep the heat inside. I picked up a couple of different sizes (thickness) of self adhesive weather stripping and was able to seal it up pretty good:
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I'm not sure that would be true. I don't think my thermostat opens in the winter. My X runs pretty cool in the winter. Next time I run it I will check. Even if it does I think the rad will keep up without overheating. Think about your car, how often does the electric fan kick in the winter? I guess it would be kind of a pain removing the fan each season. The electric fan idea would be best.that won't work, that thing will over heat in seconds after becoming warm I'm afraid...
but nice try
just plug the holes... :trink40:
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With our temperature getting as cold as -40c there is a rapid cooling affect from the radiator. The ambient temperature alone is enough to cool the hot coolant from the engine. I had a 3 cylinder Chevy sprint when I was younger and at a stand still, at idle, you would be lucky if the electric fan ever cut in. If you turned the heater fan on you can get Luke warm air only. You can run this thing at idle for hours and the temperature would never rise (thermostat closed). I also ran a Datsun without a fan (many years ago, this is where I thought of the idea of removing the fan) every winter because it had crappy heat. Even now with the newer engine’s it’s not that common for the electric fan to cut-in even at a stand still in the winter. I do agree with the thermostat opening, but it might open for a moment, and then shut. With the newer aluminum rad’s it doesn’t take long to dissipate that heat. When it gets below -15c (5 F) if I let my Ford Fusion idle outside, it might be hours before the fan kicks in because the radiator alone will dissipate the heat when the thermostat opens. I’m not trying to argue with you but when I worked up north for a few years (Gilliam MB) most (if not all) vehicles are run 24/7 in the winter and the electric fans would never cut in. With the ambient being -40c and wind chill of - 67c (or -88 F) the engines would never reach operating temperatures at idle. You always had to “work” them to get heat."Think about your car, how often does the electric fan kick in the winter?" when not moving, it comes on ALL THE TIME! if it did not the engine would overheat... regardless of outside temp
if your thermostat does not open than you have a problem. either the wrong or bad thermostat.
the thermostat is there to keep the motor at a constant temp, below that temp the motor is running "cold" and not optimum.
the advantage of a liquid coolder motor is it runs at the same temperature if it is cold or warm outside. It is why they ;ast longer and can produce WAY more power than their air cooled counterparts...
(some guys never could understand why a snowmobile motor needed to be water cooled
it may take a minute or two longer to open the thermostat on a cold day but not luch longer...
MOTORS GET HOT!
Ask the guys here with x7s with a heater core, they get so hot it can blow them right out of the cab and that is WITH their cooling fan operating! and a larger cooling system than the normal x7... (larger meaning the extra hoses, core and fluid)
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It is unusually warm here now. When it’s colder, I will run my Fusion, at idle, and time how long it takes for the fan to kick in and report back. I’m not sure if it will kick in at all. I guess the real test would be to run my X749 in the winter, without a fan, and see how that goes. Cheers!!!
:thThumbsU
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